"It was great to be with [my dance partner] Tristan [McManus] again and all my buds, all these lovely friends I made," she told PEOPLE after the show.

The 74-year-old, who was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer earlier this year, has defied the dire predictions that she only had months to live, and says she's been feeling "pretty good" since leaving the show in October.

"I didn't know what it was going to be, but I came to it open-armed because I see the show and I see the joy on the show," Harper told PEOPLE backstage shortly after her dismissal. "And these wonderful dancers, week after week [are] breaking their whatevers to get a number [to] look right. They are great and I've enjoyed them very much. And then there's my fellow people [who] I enjoyed meeting."

And into week four of Dancing with the Stars Valerie Harper did just that and much more, sending a message of hope by savoring life after she was diagnosed with brain cancer earlier this year.

But on Monday night, sentiment finally yielded to the cold criteria of judging. After another low-scoring performance – this time an 18-point waltz – the 74-year-old star of TV's Rhoda was voted off the show.